


It's all Zero's fault

by wetdandelions



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossdressing, M/M, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 20:23:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6872104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wetdandelions/pseuds/wetdandelions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takumi's pretty sure princes aren't supposed to fall in love with princes from other kingdoms.  So he buries his feelings and pines when the two of them separate after they win the war.  Of course, that's when Leon holds a ball to find a wife and Zero somehow convinces him to go to said ball as a girl to woo the prince that already has his heart.  He should have just confessed, that would have been way less embarrassing.  Takumi x Leon.<br/>AU because I still haven’t played Revelations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's all Zero's fault

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Lol, okay, so I'm only on chapter 15 on birthright, and have not finished conquest OR relevations yet...and have not read ahead to know any spoilers of the whole thing but I got this idea in my head and like i KNOW this isn't how it ends most likely but... for this story:  
> Garron is defeated, Marx becomes ruler of Nohr, Ryoma ruler of Hoshido, and like they get to know each other because (in my head this is relevations but keep in mind, all i know of is that takumi and leon join together in the same chapter and they have the most adorable support conversation) they all worked together to beat him so Takumi and Leon are friends but after the war, the two of them go their separate ways to their respective kingdoms.  
> Also warning, probably OOC because I haven't played more than 10 minutes with leon...my sister won't give me back the 3DS HAHA. :(

"Is there a spell that can change your gender?" Takumi blurts out mid-conversation and promptly blushes because he hadn't meant to ask that so bluntly.  He was going for subtle! 

Kamui looks at him in obvious confusion, one hand still pressed to his thick tome in an attempt to stay in place, so he's safe there but _Zero_ is staring at him with a small smirk, and Takumi just knows that the former outlaw has already figured everything out.

"Is there something wrong, brother?" asks Kamui, and he looks like he's ready to spring out of his chair to run to Takumi's side, and it's only the tight grip that Zero has on him that keeps him from doing so.

"I wouldn't say something's wrong," says Zero.  "I think Takumi has a _crush_."

"I do not," he retorts immediately, and flushes even more when Zero just raises an elegant eyebrow at him.

"I have a little suspicion that your question has everything to do with _that_."  Zero doesn't wait for an answer, and instead leans over and swipes the invitation  in front of him.  Zero is much too fast for him, and by the time he's spluttering in outrage, Zero is reading the invitation out loud.

"Leon's having a ball?" is all Kamui gets out of it, and Zero sighs, leaning over and pressing an affectionate kiss against the side of his lover's head. 

"You're too cute," says Zero, sounding as enamored as ever, and really, Takumi would be complaining about having to spend so much time with the lovebirds if _Zero_ hadn't already outed him to his older brother.  "Love, look."  Zero turns the invitation over, and scrawled on there is Leon's elegant script.

Takumi closes his eyes, embarrassed because he's already read it enough times to remember each word.  

_Takumi - Marx is insistent on finding me a wife to wed and somehow got it in his head that a ball was to best way to find one.  Come keep me company at least?  We can have a rematch of that last game we played.  I'll have miso soup for you too if you decide to come._

"Miso soup," says Kamui in wonder.  "When did the two of you get so close?"

"Probably when I was courting you," explains Zero, and Takumi can't meet their eyes because that is exactly how it had happened.   Back during the war, they had separate camps, one for the Nohr troops and one for the Hoshidians, and Zero had invited Kamui over to show him around.  Kamui had agreed almost instantly while Takumi had worried needlessly over his older brother.  Kamui had been nice enough to let him come to abate his worries, and it was when he was there that Leon had run interference so that Zero and Kamui could have some time alone.

Leon hadn't done it _well_ though, and they had descended into an argument over how condescending Leon was and how childish Takumi was.  And _that_ had been enough to get Takumi to storm back over to their side of the camp, and it was only a few hours later that he realized Leon had done so on purpose to get him out of the way. 

So galled that he had been tricked so easily, he had sought the mage out a second time, and was completely horrified when Leon had started to laugh and tease him of how oblivious he was and then to glumly point out that the rest of the camp thought that the two of them were eerily similar. 

That had led to them finding similarities between the two of them, so many that they had spent the rest of the day trying to find _some_ differences. 

And they did find some, such as how Leon preferred to drink tea in the afternoons curled up around a book and Takumi abhorred tea with a passion despite it being from his home country.  And that Leon had wanted to wear his hair long, but had given up when his father had called him a weakling because of it.  The two of them were also similar in that regard, because they were both little brothers trying their best to get out of their brothers' overreaching shadow.

Because Takumi didn't particularly get along with Marx, but it was easy to admit from watching him wield Seigfried that the older prince fit into every idealized ideal about a king.

And as time wore on, they found themselves fighting back to back more often, the tactician of the army obviously noticing how well they worked together.  Takumi's eyes were sharp enough to detect any harm coming toward them, and Leon had saved Takumi out of many dire situations with the help of his horse.  Their ranged attacks rained hell down on their enemies and the two of them put together were smart enough and fast enough to get out of the way of any hard-hitters before it was too late.

And then Takumi had fallen hard for Leon.  He had only realized it before the last fight, when the days leading up to the battle were wrought with _so_ many nightmares of the prince not making it out.  Nightmares weren't a new thing to him, but after countless tears and screams about Leon's imagined death, he finally knew what his body was telling him.

He had planned to confess, even asked Leon for a few minutes of his time the night before.  Leon had been beautiful in the moonlight, blonde hair awash from the light above, and he had nearly just leaned in and kissed the prince.  But just before he was going to, he heard Kamui and Zero and the sound of his older brother's distraught voice and Zero's soothing reassurances that everything was going to be alright he knew it wasn't the right time to be thinking about that.  So he had twisted his confession into an utterance of how grateful he was to have gotten to know Leon, and that had been that.

And then after the final battle and the victory, everything had been swept aside in the massive preparations of having to figure out the logistics of who was going where and what kingdom had what land and a bunch of financial stuff that Takumi had bowed out before he could get too overwhelmed.

He had barely been able to say good-bye to Leon, and by the time he had gotten back to Hoshido, he had been wracked with regret.  He didn't know when the next time he would see Leon and it had taken all his self-control not to retreat to his room to write a long letter confessing to Leon.  He wanted to confess in person, to see Leon's smile if he actually reciprocated and he didn't want to take the coward's way out.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Zero's voice brings him out of his thoughts and he immediately goes to shake his head no because he hasn't told _anyone_ yet.  But Zero looks more amused than disgusted - which would make sense considering he's currently in a relationship with his older brother - and it makes him deflate a little.  He should've told them long ago when he first started harboring feelings for a man.

He sighs softly before nodding, and is completely unprepared for the way Kamui's face lights up at the admission.  "I wouldn't say in love," he starts to protest, but Zero waves away his protests with a soft smile.

"You two defended each others' lives during the war.  It's okay to admit that those feelings are something more."

"He was my first friend," he says instead of confirming Zero's words.  "I - it's not wrong that I..." he trails off, before casting his eyes downward, worrying his lower lip with his teeth.  "I feel like I cheated him by feeling this way."

"Not all guys are homophobic," says Zero, his voice kind.  "Look, I'm Leon's retainer and he knew from the very beginning that I swung for the other team.  And he _never_ assumed that I liked him, and if I _did_ , he would've never hated me for it.  You're not giving him enough credit."

The gravity of what Zero is saying gets to him and he digs his nails into his palm in order to stay calm.  He was so scared of what other people felt about men who liked other men that he didn't even think to consider that Leon was different.  Leon who's a genius in more ways than one, Leon who had only ever looked at him with amused disdain and never hate in his eyes, unlike how Takumi did when they hadn't know each other.

Despite his prickly exterior and reluctance to show his feelings, Leon has a gentle heart and Takumi was a fool to think that Leon would ever reject him for telling him the truth.

"Has he ever like?" he waves a hand to articulate what he means, and flushes because he's sure this is the first time he's been unable to voice what he means.

"Well," starts Zero hesitantly.  "No?  But I don't think I've ever seen Leon actually interested in anyone.  I don't even know if he even has sexual thoughts...never even caught him you know," he makes a motion that makes Takumi turn instantly red.

Because just the thought of Leon in bed, wrapping a hand around himself and bringing himself to completion with flushed cheeks and heavy pants, is enough to make him aroused. 

Zero looks like he knows exactly what he's thinking, but thankfully presses on to give Takumi a moment to compose himself.  "So, you know, you don't have to become a girl to get him interested.  Thought it _is_ cute that you wanted to do so for him."

"Zero," cuts in Kamui, frowning.  "Don't confuse Takumi.  Besides, my little brother should never have to change himself for someone else."

"I know, I know," placates Zero, and he interlocks his hand with Kamui's.  "Of course I know, after all, you accepted me for who I am, didn't you?"

Kamui sighs, but he looks fond more than anything else, and Takumi clears his throat before they could get any more sappy in front of him.

"The ball," he says pointedly, and Kamui looks sheepish when he looks away from Zero.  "I've already made up my mind to confess but what if he finds a girl he likes at the ball before I can?"

"Then just confess before the ball," says Zero.

Takumi narrows his eyes at him, "It's not as easy as you think, you know."

"Hey I did it," he says, gesturing over at Kamui.  "You just got to take a risk sometimes."

Zero's right no matter how much he doesn't want him to be, and he sighs.  It's not like he hadn't spent all summer preparing himself to tell Leon anyway.  "Will you guys come with me to Nohr?" he asks instead.

"Of course," says Kamui, "You didn't even have to ask.  Besides, I'm sure Leon likes you, too.  The two of you did spend a lot of time together on the battlefield."

He lets the calm confidence Kamui has in him bolster his own confidence and he smiles back at his big brother.  Because Leon might have been his first real friend and his confession might ruin _everything_ but it doesn't matter because he has a home in Hoshido with people who love him. 

And that is of course when Zero snickers and starts to plan out multiple confessions for him that he seriously contemplates going to find Hinoka and Sakura and ask them for help instead.

* * *

When he first sees Leon, he swears his heart skips a beat.  The prince's hair looks softer than he remembered, and his heart aches when he remembers the memory of them comparing how soft each others' hair was.  (Leon won, but only because it was ridiculously hard to wash one's hair when they were in a middle of a war  _especially_ with hair as long as his.)

"Takumi," says Leon when he gets closer, and Takumi smiles brightly back when he gets one of Leon's rare smiles.  He's utterly surprised when Leon pulls him into a hug, and it takes  him a while to process how close the other prince is before he brings up his own arms to wrap around Leon.

The hug lasts longer than he thought it would, and it's only how self-conscious he feels about his heart beating so fast that makes him reluctantly pull away. 

"How have things been?" he asks, and Leon sighs before he answers.

"Utterly dreadful.  Preparing for the ball has been awful.  I wish you arrived sooner," he says, and for a moment he thinks Leon means something _more_ by that, but his hopes are dashed when Leon continues.  "The ball's all anyone can talk about, and it would've been nice to actually talk about more important things."

He musters up a grin in order to hide how the mention of the ball stabs at his heart, and he nudges Leon playfully.  "Don't tell me I'm the _only_ one you can talk to about things like that.  Surely everyone in Nohr isn't as dull as you make them out to be?"

"They are," Leon retorts immediately, his mouth pursed into a frown.  "Marx is too busy running a kingdom to debate with me about philosophical matters and Elise is..." he trails off before shrugging, "Well Elise."

He doesn't comment on how Leon doesn't mention Camilla, and the way Leon's smile turns wry lets him know that Leon's picked up on it.

"Well," Takumi says as brightly as he can, "then there's no time to waste, is there?  Game of shogi in your quarters?"

"Chess," corrects Leon, immediately.  "We're in _Nohr_ , right now, you know.  Let's leave that uncivilized game back in Hoshido."

He rolls his eyes, but humors Leon anyway.  He knows Leon's just bitter because he's never won a shogi game against him.  Granted, he's never won a chess game against Leon, but he's not a sore loser like Leon.

And besides, it doesn't matter who wins because he's going to confess as soon as they're alone.  He's gone over his little confession multiple times with both Kamui and Zero on the way there; he's repeated it so much he's pretty sure he has it memorized. 

All he had to do was get over his pesky little nerves and do it.

* * *

He doesn't do it.

He can't because _Marx_ joins them for their chess game in the study and since Marx is there, Elise comes to join and it all goes downhill from there. 

He's already nervous so he loses spectacularly and the embarrassment of letting the other Nohr siblings see him lose make him unwilling to play again.  So he's content to sit back and listen to the three Nohr siblings tell him tales of what it's been like in Nohr ever since they've come back.

Even though he doesn't confess by the end of the evening, he still has a smile on his face when he heads to bed.  Because although he's missed Leon, he's missed Elise and Marx too and it's not so bad spending an evening with them.  He can confess to Leon the next day anyway.

Of course, Leon is nowhere to be found when he wakes, whisked away by the people who are planning the ball.  And so it goes, with each day Takumi only seeing Leon for meal times.  He tries his best to get Leon alone, but it doesn't work.  He caves and asks Zero for help, which results in some _very_ embarrassing situations.  Zero tricks Leon into walking in on him bathing, and although they're _alone_ , Takumi is way too self conscious to actually tell Leon anything.  They sit in stilted silence, and after that, Takumi rounds on Zero and demands him not to interfere anymore.

The day of the ball dawns and Takumi still hasn't been able to confess.  The ball's still going on and Leon could go in there and fall in love with any rich noble girl in there and he can do nothing to stop it.

Leon's even harder to get alone now, and he gives up, content to stew in his room until he's summoned for the ball.

There's a knock on his door, and he only hesitates for a second before swinging it open.  Kamui stands in front of him and only stares at him for a little while before pushing past Takumi and entering his room.  Zero follows, closing the door after the both of them. 

He sighs at the invasion of privacy and lack of a greeting, but doesn't kick up a fuss, too used to it by now. 

"I knew you'll be in here," says Kamui.  "You haven't confessed yet, have you?  I mean, of course you haven't, Leon's out there preparing for the ball right now."

"You were going to sulk in here," says Zero, a disappointed frown marring his face.  "Did you really forget Plan Z?"

He blinks, forgetting just how many plans Zero had tossed at him.  "There was a plan Z?" he asks instead and Zero pouts.

"It was my best one," Zero protests and Kamui sighs, taking pity on his lover and snapping his fingers.  A brilliant white dress appears in his hands, and Takumi's eyes widen as he stares at it.

"I thought that one was a joke," he says, ignoring the way Zero makes a wounded sound.

"Your hair's long enough," says Kamui.  "We enlisted Oboro into designing this for you - she thought it was a joke so don't worry about her knowing anything."

"You really think Leon will fall for this?  You think _anyone_ will fall for this?"

"Hey," interjects Zero, "You know how strong Kamui is.  A layered illusion like this is like child's play to him."

"Then why the dress?"

"Because the strongest illusion is the one that has semblance of truth to it," explains Kamui patiently.  "Now don't move," he commands, his leadership skills shining through and that makes Takumi obey.  His older brother starts to undo Takumi's ponytail, letting his silver locks fall down until it reaches past his thighs. 

"I didn't agree to this yet," he says, but he knows it's a lost cause.  Once Kamui gets his mind on something, there was little chance of him changing it.  And besides, he doubts that Kamui and Zero would set him up to fail; if they were so insistent on him doing this there had to be a reason.

"Besides," says Zero, "I know you're worried about the whole gay thing.  Look at it this way, if you act like yourself and Leon picks you, then maybe he'll realize that gender is just a silly little notion that shouldn't come in the way of love."

He stares at Zero and obediently lifts his arms so Kamui can start to work on undressing him.   "I wish everyone thought like you sometimes," he says.  It's mostly sarcasm, though he does mean some of it.  After all, if Leon's like Zero, maybe he will actually have a chance with the prince.

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," sighs Zero, dejected, and Kamui tuts as he helps Takumi into the dress.  He's still in his underclothes to preserve his modesty - though with how many times Kamui has walked in on him bathing in the hot springs during the war it doesn't really matter - because it'll be easy enough to slide off when the dress is on him.

"He's being sarcastic, love," says Kamui and Takumi grunts when Kamui starts to lace up the dress.

"I feel very emasculated right now," he says when Kamui spins him to face the mirror, and he frowns at his reflection.  He does look like a girl with his hair down. Still, he can't see how anyone wouldn't be able to tell who he is.  His face still looks masculine even when the dress gives him the illusion of having a chest, and no matter how talented Oboro is, she can't hide his broad shoulders. 

Then Kamui snaps and the reflection changes.  He scowls at the sight, "Red hair, really?"

"Well," says Kamui brightly.  "Our sisters have red hair, you know.  It's not that far-fetched to think you'll have the same.  And here," he pauses to use magic again and he hands Takumi an intricate black mask with feathers on the side.  "It helps that we convinced Marx to make the ball a masked one.  With your face covered and my illusion working, you'll be unrecognizable, promise."

"And what's my backstory then?" he asks, resigned.  He's already in the dress, there's no reason to back out now.

"Your name is Yumi and you're one of the many noblewomen from Hoshido," says Zero.  "You don't really need a more extensive backstory then that."

He narrows his eyes at Zero, "What if I get found out?  I'll never live it down if people find out I'm wearing a dress."

Kamui laughs, patting his shoulder to provide comfort.  "We'll play it off as a dare from Zero.  People know he's crazy.  _Especially_ people in Nohr."

"Hey," says Zero, sounding offended.

Kamui doesn't even look at him, just rolling his eyes and sharing a smile with Takumi.  "I fell in love with your crazy, Zero, so don't you complain.  And if you're really worried, I'll just erase everyone's memories."

"You can do that?" he asks, a little wary, and Kamui just grins and shrugs a little as if doing that was no big deal.

"You know," he says, eventually, "I think Zero influenced you a little bit too much."

Kamui bursts into laugher, and Zero preens above him, and even though Takumi's in a dress, he somehow believes that everything will turn out alright.

* * *

It's when he's introducing himself to Leon that notion goes awry.  Because he didn't notice then, but Zero told him his name was  _Yumi._   Which literally translates to a bow in Japanese, and by the way Leon raises his eyebrow, he's pretty sure he's caught already. 

"Ah," says Leon, "It's nice to meet you, Yumi.  Would you care to dance?"

And he panics again because he knows the dance but he doesn't know how to dance the female part.  "No," he says, and Leon stares at him.

"No?" he repeats, almost as if isn't quite sure on where to go next.  He peers behind Takumi as if to look at the other noblewomen in the ballroom and Takumi knows he has to say something to get the prince's attention back on him.

"Do you want to play a game of chess?" he blurts out.

Leon blinks, "We're at a ball."

"Er," he says, flushing madly behind his mask.  "I heard you like to play."

Leon stares at him for a long while before he suddenly gains an amused tilt to his smile.  "Ah," he says, and then he stands from where he's sitting.  "My chess partner is missing right now, so I'll guess you'll have to do."

"Will Ma-the King be alright with you leaving the ball early?" he asks, and Leon shrugs.

"There's more than enough men here to occupy the ladies.  And Marx will understand."

He frowns, knowing Marx probably will _not_ , but he's playing the part of a demure lady so he follows after Leon anyway.

* * *

He doesn't know how long they end up playing chess (Takumi still loses spectacularly but Leon doesn't seem to mind...he suspects it's because it's his request that allows Leon to bow out of the ball early) and it's nearing midnight when Kamui walks in and does a double-take.  He pretends to know who Takumi is and then gets him out and back to his quarters without anyone realizing.

He knows he should've confessed then - he had Leon all to himself after all, but he had gotten carried away with the many games they played and the matters they had started to discuss.

It's with a cheer that he wakes up the next morning, knowing that the chances of Leon being able to pick a girl was slim to none.

He runs into Leon and Marx on the way to breakfast and they're talking in hushed tones.  They quiet as soon as he's near enough to hear them, and he raises an eyebrow at that.  "Hello," he greets, and Marx gives him a warm smile but Leon's is more of a smirk than anything else.

"Where were you last night?" asks Leon, and Takumi shrugs.

"Didn't want to bother you at the ball," he says.  "What with you picking a future wife and all.  Did you find someone?"

"Yes," says Leon, and that one word is enough to send a knife through his heart.  He stares, wide-eyed at Leon, trying his best to think up of _anything_ to say, when Leon continues.  "But it's far too soon to tell.  We decided to extend the ball for another night. 

"Another night?" he repeats numbly, and barely reacts when Leon pats him companionably on the shoulder.

"You'll be there tonight, right?  You'll be far better company than what I had last night."

He nearly scowls at Leon, feeling offended because Leon had spent last night with _him_.  But Leon doesn't know that, so he schools his features into something more acceptable before shrugging.  "I'll try," he promises, and the way Leon looks at him like that makes him feel nervous.

"Alright," says Leon.  He turns to Marx, and the older man glances at both of them with a thoughtful frown before nodding.  They say their farewells, obviously going to plan another ball, and Takumi sighs before going to find Kamui.

Another ball.  Another night in a dress.

* * *

This time, the dress is a dark black, matching his mask.  He stares at it, marveling on how Kamui has been able to change it on such short notice, before heaving a resigned sigh and putting it on.

He doesn't want to monopolize Leon and if it isn't for Kamui and Zero, he probably would have stayed in his room instead.  But he goes, and he broods in an armchair, watching as the love of his life chats with multiple other women.  He's not jealous, really, it's just fascinating to see Leon like this.

Leon finds him first this time and Takumi only has a moment to be surprised that the prince remembers his name. 

"Prince Leon," he says out of lack of anything else to say. 

"I looked for you," says Leon, smiling.  "I don't believe there's a Yumi staying here at the castle."

"Oh," he says, "I'm not staying at the castle."

"Really," drawls Leon, looking amused.  "I couldn't bear the thought of letting such a dismal chess player out in the world so I held this ball just so I could find you again."

"Dismal?" he immediately scowls, "Like I said yesterday, chess is a _stupid_ game for Nohrians.  I'll like to see you play -" he cuts himself off before he can continue, knowing that if he says shogi than he's really painting too many clues to who he is.

There's a pause in which Leon stares at him before he tilts his head to the side, "Did you miss the part where I said I held this ball just to find you?"

Takumi turns bright red because he _did_ miss that part over his outrage of being called a horrible chess player.  And then the words actually register and he's sure he's having trouble breathing.

"I don't think I have to meet anyone else," murmurs Leon, drawing close.  "I rather think I'll like to choose you.  You remind me of my best friend, I'm sure you'll like him when the two of you meet.  He's from Hoshido, which I'm guessing by your namesake, is something you share with him."

He stares in horror because he's sure Leon is talking about him and that makes a stab of guilt run through him.  Because by going along with this stupid scheme, he's betrayed Leon's trust.  What if Leon actually liked him?  And not _him_ like he wanted Leon to, but the girl he was pretending to be.  Yumi is a fake, just a persona so he can talk to Leon alone and ...Leon is choosing _her_.  A girl who doesn't exist.

"I -" he stammers out, his eyes growing wider as he stares into Leon's trusting face.  "I can't," he mumbles out and then he's turning faster than Leon can react.  Leon calls out his name once as he darts away, weaving past confused party goers and Zero's shocked face, and it's only moments later that he breathes a sigh of relief as he gets outside of the ballroom.

* * *

"Look," says Zero when the archer finds him hiding behind a tower of books in the palace's library,  "You have to fix things."

"I have to?" he snarls, turning to face Zero with a glare.  "It's because of _you_ I hurt Leon."

Zero looks uncomfortable, and then he sighs.  "It's hard talking to you without Kamui."

"What if he actually likes Yumi, Zero?  He wants to choose _her_ as his princess!"

"Yumi doesn't actually exist, Takumi," points out Zero.  "You can't actually be jealous of yourself."

"I'm not jealous," he retorts, even though he _is_.  Because Yumi's able to capture Leon's attention perfectly even though Yumi has the same personality as him.  The only difference is that Yumi is a pretty _girl_ in a dress and Takumi is not.  Which doesn't bode well at all for his crush on the Nohr prince.

"Just talk to him," sighs Zero.  "I mean, all this could have been avoided if you had just done that in the first place."

He glares up at Zero, highly offended, and Zero shrugs the glare right off, patting Takumi's shoulder awkwardly.  "He's in the gardens if you ever work up the nerve to talk to him."

He has every intention to _not_ do as Zero asks him to and he spends the ten minutes after Zero leaves staring angrily at the book in front of him.  But the sight of Leon's face softly smiling at him when he told him that he was going to choose Yumi keeps flashing before his eyes and that's enough to spur him to go find Leon.

Leon's alone in the gardens when Takumi gets there, and he hides behind the corner for a minute to gather up his courage.  He isn't even sure if Leon is going to believe him.

Leon turns when Takumi calls his name, a brief look of surprise crossing his features. 

"I'm sorry," he says, immediately.  And Leon looks puzzled so he presses on.  "Not for missing the ball, because well I didn't _really_ miss the ball.  You have to understand, Leon, I never meant to hurt you.  I only - it was really only because I wanted to tell you that I'm rather gone for you and I know it's wrong, because I'm a prince of Hoshido and you're the prince of Nohr but I can't help it."

Leon's eyes have gone soft, but Takumi presses on anyway, hoping that if he says it fast enough it'll be quick and painless.  "So I dressed up as Yumi and went to the ball.  It was stupid, I know, but I thought maybe if you could just see that gender doesn't matter then maybe we could have a chance?"

He worries his lower lip when he stops talking, nearly tearing up because his heart's currently beating out of his chest.  Because this could change everything - if Leon really liked Yumi then he could have really hurt the prince.  And because he just told Leon that he's in love with him and all Leon is doing is staring at him in surprise. 

And then Leon snorts, the sound somehow sounding graceful even though it really shouldn't.

Leon actually covers his mouth with his right hand as he dissolves into laughter, letting up only when Takumi makes an offended sound.  "It's just," he says, trying his best to curb his laughter, "Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you?"

Takumi can hardly believe the prince's words, can hardly believe that Leon doesn't hate him for what he's done, but even through the disbelief, the way Leon is laughing at him rankles him and he scowls, "I looked nothing like myself!"

Leon actually pauses to consider his words, and then gives him a once over, a smirk on his face that makes Takumi blush, "Takumi, I've seen you naked in the hot springs more times than I can count and I've had _your_ body pressed up against me when we paired up on the battlefield.  Do you _really_ think I wouldn't recognize it even when you're in a dress?"

"But," he protests, cheeks now stained a permanent red, "Kamui put an illusion on me."

Leon actually chuckles at that.  "And do you know who I am, Takumi?  I'm the strongest mage in Nohr, and you think Kamui's illusion can fool me?"

"Then you knew," he starts, and Leon smirks.

"Yes, I knew from the very beginning.  And let me tell you, sweetheart, you're _adorable_ when you're flustered.  Asking me to play chess when we're at a _ball_.  And yumi?  I know I don't know japanese, but even I know yumi means bow.  You couldn't be more obvious if you tried."

"You should have said something," he says, rather petulantly and Leon smirks up at him. 

"And deprive myself of such fun?" asks Leon.  "And I got to see you in a dress two days in a row.  And it helped me realize that although you look absolutely ravishing in a dress, I far do prefer you looking like a male.  I like you best when you're yourself, you know.  It doesn't matter to me if you're not a girl," he pauses to lean closer, "you're mine, either way."

Takumi tilts his head back when Leon draws him into a kiss, and then yelps when Leon's hand curls possessively around his waist, bringing him flush to his chest.  He never felt shorter than Leon than he did at the moment, dominated with both Leon's tongue and the way the prince is holding him tight.  It seems like forever before Leon's pulling away, and Leon stares at him after they separate, looking amused at the way Takumi is panting slightly.

"So are you going to finally say it?"

"Say what?" he asks warily, and Leon grins.  Takumi's taken aback for a split second; he had never seen Leon so exuberant before and it makes something in his heart soar.

"Your little confession.  I heard from Zero that you practiced all the way here.  Almost like a little speech for me."

"What," he says, flatly, and Leon actually throws his head back and laughs gleefully.

"Zero _was_ my retainer," Leon points out.  "Of course he told me everything that was going on."

"That little," he seethes, and Leon runs a calming hand down his back.

"Don't be mad at him.  He told me only last night," he says, "And after all, I've been waiting for you to confess since the end of the war.  You were like, "Our bonds should not end with a mere friendship," and then you chickened out and told me how happy you were we became friends."

"I panicked," he argues, his cheeks flushed.

"But what does that even _mean_?  Mere friendship," Leon teases, and Takumi would normally be upset, but the way Leon is pressing up against him makes it hard to even think.

"I could've meant as brothers," he argues, and Leon just chuckles.

"Right," he humors Takumi.  "But let's just be happy you actually didn't, because the things I want to do to you are _not_ very brotherly."

Takumi goes from embarrassed to aroused in the manner of seconds, and by the look on Leon's face, the prince has already caught on. 

Leon's grin is just as full of lust as his, and Takumi surrenders to the prince when Leon draws him into another bruising kiss.

* * *

"So," says Zero, "I rather think we can thank me for this one."

Kamui rolls his eyes, aims a sympathetic look toward Takumi, and passes the potatoes.

"I think not," says Leon, sitting to Takumi's right.  "You could have just locked us in a room until Takumi confessed.  Instead, you convinced him to cross dress.  I don't even know how you came up with that one."

"It worked out though!" protests Zero.

Leon sighs, like he's prone to do when he's with Zero, but his eyes are soft as he interlocks his fingers with Takumi's.  "Mm," he says, "I guess it did."

Takumi's sure his smile as soft as Leon's when he meets eyes with him, and feels only slightly embarrassed for being so lovey dovey because he's been crushing on Leon forever, he deserves a break now that their feelings are finally mutual.  And besides, Zero and Kamui don't deserve to complain with all the public displays of affection they do.

"It's a good thing we asked Oboro for a white dress, then," says Zero, snickering slightly.  "Takumi will make a wonderful bride."

Takumi flushes at the comment and Kamui obviously stomps on his love's foot.  "Zero," he reprimands, and Zero just laughs, obviously delighted.

"Hey, Leon held the ball to find a wife, didn't he?"

Leon looks amused, and although marriage is jumping way too fast after they had just gotten together, Leon says almost casually, "I did, didn't I?"

Takumi's heart beats awfully fast at Leon's admission and Leon shares a secretive smile with him as Zero gawks rather unattractively at them.

"You can't be serious," complains Zero, but his protest falls on deaf ears when Leon suddenly stands and kneels, his hand never leaving Takumi's.  Leon looks like a vision there, on one knee and earnest eyes staring into Takumi's, and Takumi knows what his answer is going to be even before Leon says a word.

"I know it's moving fast, but I've had a ring picked out ever since the first night I saw you in a dress."  Takumi can't help the narrowing of his eyes at Leon's quirk of a smug smirk, and Leon continues before Takumi can interrupt.  "We may be from different countries, but I'll do anything to call you my husband.  Will you marry me?"

"This is awfully fast," he says, and Leon only laughs because just like Takumi, he's been sure of the answer before he even asked.  Because they've been through a war together and many other insecurities and problems before that, and it's only fitting that they would get married.

After all, the ball's to find a wife, and Leon's chosen him since the very beginning.

"Just say yes already," grumbles Zero, ruining the moment of it all.

And even though he's loathe to ever listen to Zero, he places his hands on Leon's shoulder and tugs the love of his life into a kiss.  He murmurs the word yes against Leon's lips when the prince stands to tower over him, and promptly sighs when Leon deepens the kiss into something more.

When Leon draws away, the smirk is still there.  "So, Zero, you did have one good point.  We _do_ have a white dress in Takumi's size."

"I'm not wearing a dress," protests Takumi, but at the way Leon's bright eyes dance at him, he knows it's a lost cause.

He can't find it in himself to care though, because dress or no dress, he'll do anything to be up on that altar, getting married to the one prince who has captured his heart.

And Leon knows it, so the prince just leans in and kisses him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and leave kudos, it really makes me happy <3\. Sorry for the OOCness of this whole piece...hahaha, but I just couldn't help wanting to write the two of them :) and couldn't get the thought of takumi in a dress out of my head...that hair...it's just...so pretty haha
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed!


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